As we wait for the official sales numbers on Drake's Thank Me Later (early projections predicted 475,000), we turn to Fayetteville, N.C.'s J. Cole as perhaps the next rapper with enough talent and grit to bridge the gap between hip-hop purists and the swagged-out new breed.
Cole just dropped the BBGUN-directed video for his first single, "Who Dat" (which he co-produced with Elite), and it's a bold introduction to the unfamiliar. It'll be interesting to see how a more traditional-based MC (Cole's style recalls Nas, College Dropout-era Kanye West and other straight-ahead spitters, although he does sing some of his own hooks) will do in a party-first-dominated rap climate. Based on "Who Dat" and the technical prowess/natural songwriting ability he showed on his first two mix tapes (The Warm-Up, The Come Up), Cole could be next to blow. No date has been set for the release of his debut album.
